The Victorious Chief Shepherd

Lessons from Psalms: 20

“Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.” Psalm 24:7

Psalm24 is the last in the trio of psalms picturing Christ as the Shepherd. In this psalm we see Him as the victorious Shepherd. He was the suffering Shepherd in Psalm 22, the caring and tender Shepherd in Psalm 23 and now in this psalm He is seen ascending into His glorious throne and being welcomed as heaven’s gates open to the Victor. One day the gates of the city of Jerusalem will open to this victorious Shepherd as He returns to take His rightful reign on earth. Peter speaks of this as the coming of the Chief Shepherd who will also offer crowns to His loyal under-shepherds. In Psalms 22-24 we see the past, present and future work of our Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

John W. Peterson wrote a beautiful hymn expressing the triumph of Psalm 24. “Open wide, ye everlasting doors, let the King of glory in; now returning from His earthly wars, He the victory did win. See the rich red wounds He bears, scars of battle now He wears; He has wrested Satan’s throne, He must reign and He alone!” Praise God for the mighty victory of Christ the Suffering Good Shepherd, the Tender Great Shepherd and the Victorious Chief Shepherd of our souls.

Dear Father, Thank You for the complete work of Christ our Shepherd for us, the often wandering sheep of Your pasture. Amen.   

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The Chief Shepherd's Care

Lessons from Psalms: 19

“The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” Psalm 23:1

In John 10 Jesus said, “The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” That was fulfilled in Psalm 22. Psalm 23 pictures the Good Shepherd caring for His sheep. As we are saved through His shed blood and assured of eternal life by His resurrection, we can also be certain that our Shepherd is not done caring for us. As Paul said in Romans 8, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all good things?” Here is the Father sending the Great Shepherd of Hebrews 13 to work in and for the care of His sheep.

Look at all the “good things” that the Great Shepherd provides for us in Psalm 23. He gives us sufficiency, daily fresh supply, rest, restoration, guidance, security, His presence, His Holy Spirit, abundance, companionship and eternity. Any one of those things would be a pretty tall order. The world cannot offer the assurance of any of them, but the risen Good Shepherd, now the Chief Shepherd of our souls, provides them all. So God gives us all “good things” through our wonderful Shepherd, Jesus Christ.

Dear Father, Thank You for sending Your Son to be our Shepherd both to die for us and then to daily care for us. Amen. 

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

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Happy Thanksgiving

     Now thank we all our God
     With heart and hands and voices
     Who wondrous things hath done
     In whom the world rejoices.
     Who from our mother's arms
     Has blessed us on our way
     With countless gifts of love
     And still is ours today.         (Martin Rinkart)

     This beautiful hymn, one of the most popular of all Thanksgiving hymns was written in a time of great tragedy. The 30 Years War raged across Germany from 1618-1648. Between half and two thirds of the population of Germany was killed by famine, disease, starvation or direct acts of war. Martin Rinkart was a pastor in a walled city, a place that was considered to be a haven. Instead it was a death trap as it was overrun by three armies. Inside the city there were the problems of starvation and plague. In one year Pastor Rinkart performed over 5000 funerals. He was the last surviving pastor in the city. One of those funerals was for his wife.
     In the midst of this series of calamities he wrote "Now Thank We All Our God". He knew that it wasn't just the size of the house or bank account for which we are to be thankful. He knew that it wasn't just because the turkey smelled great and all the family could gather that we are supposed to be thankful. We are thankful because God sent His Son to save us. We are thankful because our loving God always loves us with an everlasting love.
     Pastor Rinkart knew this. On this Thanksgiving Day let us remember that for which we are truly most thankful. Let us give God all the praise and glory. The psalmist said, O give thanks unto the Lord, for His mercy is everlasting. Indeed it is. Thank you heavenly Father for your gift of love to us each day.

The Crucifixion was not an Accident

Lessons from Psalms: 18

“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Psalm 22:1

The book of Psalms contains many different kinds of psalms. There are psalms of praise, lament, imprecation, edification and prophesy. Psalm 2 was clearly a prophetic psalm declaring the nature of God’s Son and His crucifixion at the hands of both the Jews and the gentiles. Psalm 21 is a portrayal of His crucifixion and His resurrection. The details of the crucifixion are quoted repeatedly in the Gospel accounts. They begin with the cry of Christ on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” This cry is the echo of the cry of Christ’s earthly ancestor King David. They are the cry of the King of the Jews on the Cross.

We would often like to bypass the true agony of Christ for our sins, but this psalm gives its ugly picture quite clearly. We see the pierced hands and feet. We see the mocking crowds who should have received Him as their king. We see the gaunt body with all its bones sticking out. We feel the agony of the parched mouth and the humiliation of the cross. We see the mockery of the soldiers as they gamble for His clothes. It is not a very pretty psalm, but it is an accurate one. One thousand years before Christ’s crucifixion, David completely captured the event in this psalm. But it doesn’t end there. It also tells of His resurrection as Christ lives again to declare God’s name to the disciples and give praise to God in the midst of His followers. The cross wasn’t an accident or an unexpected event. It was the will of God for our salvation.

Dear Father, Thank You for the consistency of Your word and the promises it gives that cannot be broken. Amen.

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

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Think in These Things

Lessons from Psalms: 17

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord.” Psalm 19:14

Someone might get the idea that I really like the 19^th Psalm. They would not be mistaken. It begins with a clear declaration of the reality of God as demonstrated in His work.  Paul echoes this in Romans 1 where he says “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made.” Then the 19^th Psalm presents the bouquet of God’s word and establishes it as the means to know God and be saved and do His will. Paul echoes this sentiment in II Timothy 3 where he says, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable.”

God’s creation and His word are like two verses of a beautiful hymn. Verse 14 is the chorus. Since we have God revealed in His creation and in His word, what is the meditation of our hearts? All that we could ever need or hope for is contained in what God has given. Therefore, let our meditations be on that which is truly blessed and will be a true blessing. Our hearts can always find true food, true peace and true assurance when we have meditation that is acceptable in His sight.

Dear Father, Thank You for direction for joy and peace in our life. Amen. 

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

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God's Daily Banquet for Us

Lessons from Psalms: 16

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” Psalm 19:7

Would you like a concise explanation of the value of God’s word? Look in Psalm 19 and check out these descriptive terms: perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, true and righteous. Then consider what these seven descriptions can work in the world today. The can: convert the soul, make us wise, rejoice our heart, give us understanding, warn us and last us for eternity. More than that they have great value: better than gold, sweeter than honey and bring great reward.

The average American home has over 2.5 Bibles but according to statistics they are seldom used or read. This banquet of ideas and benefits that God has described should be one that is truly hard to pass up. Most of us wouldn’t pass by a buffet of fried chicken, roast ham, mashed potatoes, heavily frosted cakes, fragrant fruit pies, bread pudding and ice cream. We would stop and eat, especially since it is free. Yet everyday millions of believers walk right past just such a feast and grow weaker and weaker in spiritual hunger every day. But praise be to God, the banquet is always open and we are always welcome to feast and be blessed.

Dear Father, Thank You for the feast of Your word and the blessings and hope that it gives to us. Amen.

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

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The Stars Declare Their Maker's Praise

Lessons from Psalms: 15

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the earth shows His handiwork.” Psalm 19:1

The skeptic and the atheist look up into the night sky and ask, “How did this all begin?” Then they draw their false conclusion that it was a giant accident. They see the perfect order of the heavens and only see the chaos of a giant explosion. They see the stars that have guided sailors for millennia but only see random chance in motion. They see the work of God but deny Him in their delusion of self importance.

The Christian has a better view of the sky without the most powerful telescopes available to man. They have the eyes of God to see what is really there. There is pattern and symmetry and continuity and beauty. We see the creative God the Father maker of heaven and earth. We see the fixed promises of God that have proven seeds of hope to multiple generations of mankind. We see strength to make it and wisdom to make it right. To assure Abraham of God’s promises, He told him to look at the stars. To assure all mankind of who He is and why He alone is worthy of worship and praise He tells us all to look at the stars. They declare Him!

Dear Father, Thank You for the visual effects that declare our Maker’s praise. Amen. 

The Friday Benediction

Until Monday, my friends, may the good God envelop you with His grace; may you prove the common confession of faith, “I believe in the holy Christian church and in the fellowship of the saints”, and may you be enriched with joy and hope as you exercise that confession this weekend.  Amen

You can contact me and find inspiring Christian books at my website: www.davidccraig.net

If you don’t already subscribe to this blog, you can do so and receive it each day M-F by choosing the Abundant Grace section on my website and signing up for free delivery every day.